The Goodbye Girl
by XX4aXX
Summary: Penny is helping Leonard and Sheldon clear out their apartment. Sometimes saying goodbye is hard.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a one off piece that came into my head. Hope you enjoy**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.**

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Penny opened the cupboard under the sink hoping that it would be empty, but it wasn't. "Great more stuff to pack." she muttered to herself as she grabbed at the contents.

"Well this is fun isn't it?" Leonard walked up behind her. "Actually thanks Penny for helping, I really appreciate it." He knelt down beside her and opened the cupboard next to hers and started to unpack it's contents.

Penny looked at him, "Leonard I am so going to miss you." she hugged him.

She released her grip and moved away from him. "Is this the last of it? "

He nodded his head. "Yes, finally."

Penny packed the last of the cleaning products in the box and sealed it, she stood up. "Yeah finished." she looked around at 4A, it was full of boxes and furniture all ready for the moving people due tomorrow morning.

She walked to the kitchen island and opened the bottle of waiting wine sitting in the ice bucket. She filled the glasses sitting on the island and passed one to Leonard, clinking hers to his she said. "To Switzerland."

"Switzerland." He toasted in return and took a sip of the wine, "Penny." He paused "You know, you and me, we didn't miss out there did we?"

She took another sip of her wine, then looked straight into his eyes. "We tried Leonard, three times if you remember, it just wasn't met to be. Look you'll meet some lovely Swiss Miss, get married and live happily each after."

He raised his glass. "To Swiss Misses." he smiled. She clinked her glass with his.

"Not much work getting done out here." Sheldon came walking into the living room, he had a clipboard in his hand.

Leonard placed his glass down. "All finished here buddy, what about you?"

Sheldon looked at Leonard. "Yes all done." He ticked the sheet of paper on his board and then turned it to show Leonard. "Sign here and here." he pointed to the sheet of paper.

Leonard signed the paperwork and Sheldon gave him a copy.

"The room mate agreement is now no longer. Thank you Leonard Hofstadter, you were a satisfactory room mate."

"Satisfactory, gee thanks." Leonard took the piece of paper and tucked it in his pants. "Well I've just got to speak with the landlord, be back in a few minutes."

Penny watched as Leonard walked out the apartment, then turned to Sheldon. "So Sheldon, you looking forward to getting to Switzerland? There is lots of mountains to climb, and cheese to eat and snow."

"Penny, Leonard and I will be working at the Large Hadron Collider we will not have time to climb mountains, we will be trying to solve the mysteries of the universe."

Penny sucked her bottom lip and looked at at Sheldon, a thought came to her head. "Sheldon, can I ask a favour from you, one last one?"

"You may ask, I don't have to agree."

"Can I kiss you, I mean a proper girl boy kiss?"

Sheldon looked at her. "Penny, seriously, you know that I don't kiss."

"I know, but well you are about to leave, and I will probably never see you again, and I just am curious, surely as a scientist you understand. Like it's an experiment, I just want to experiment you and me kissing."

"Penny I have an IQ of 187, telling me that it would be like an experiment, you think I can't see through that."

"But it's true." she implored.

Sheldon looked at her for about fifteen seconds. "Alright, but no tongues."

Penny smiled at him. "Course not. So shall we start?"

"No you have to go brush your teeth first."

"Ah, of course." She ran over to her apartment and quickly brushed her teeth and just before leaving she gargled some mouthwash just to be certain. She walked back into 4A as Sheldon walked back into the living room. "Ready?"

"I brushed my teeth also and I gargled mouthwash? Did you gargle mouthwash?" He asked.

Penny nodded yes. "Yes, now quickly before Leonard come back."

"Ok. So is there a time limit, 5 seconds, 2 seconds?"

"Sheldon, let just kiss ok, and however long it takes."

"Ok, ready." He licked his lips.

"Can you squat down a bit please? Oh hang on, better idea, I will sit on the kitchen island, then we will be the same height, and don't give me that look, you don't eat off there anymore!" she jumped up on the island and Sheldon walked over to her. "You need to stand closer Sheldon." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him in closer.

Penny closed her eyes and moved her lips to Sheldon's, they were soft and moist from the chapstick he uses. She opened her mouth and kissed his bottom lip, he didn't really respond, but then again he didn't pull away, she took a chance and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeper, she felt his arms hesitantly wrap around her and his lips slightly part. His mouth moved from hers to her neck and kissed her neck getting closer to her collarbone with each kiss, a moan escaped from Penny's mouth. Her hands grabbed at his face and brought his lips back to hers, and she kissed his again, her tongue brushed against his lips. She opened her eyes and pulled away looking back into his blue eyes with a look of horror.

She pushed him away and took a deep breath. ."Um, Sheldon I have to, you know, do things. I'll see you tomorrow right." She jumped off the kitchen island and walked as quickly as she could back to her apartment.

"Shit!" She lent against her door covering her face with her hands. Her mind replaying slowly the kiss over and over. "Oh my god, that cat is alive and kicking! Penny why did you do that?"

The next day Penny returned home from work to find Leonard at the bottom of the stairs directing the two removal men with the last of their boxes. "So Leonard, nearly all done?"

"Yeah, that the last of them. I just need to go give the guys the instructions again and I'll meet you back upstairs in the apartment, Sheldon's up there."

Penny looked at Leonard, "I'll wait for you and we can walk up together." she smiled at him.

"No, I might be a while, you go straight up."

"Ok I'll just get changed and meet you in your apartment."

Leonard nodded, but he was really concentrating on the delivery guys. "I really need to get this." he said as we walked out the door.

Penny looked at the stairs. Go up, have shower get dressed and smile as you walk into 4A, Leonard will be there by then.

Penny did exactly that, except when she walked into 4A Leonard wasn't there. "Where's Leonard?"

"He is still downstairs organising the furniture shipment, apparently they had the wrong delivery details."

"And you aren't fixing it?"

"No, Leonard is." Penny watched as his mouth moved, but didn't really hear the rest of his words.

"Penny?"

"Sorry what?"

"Penny I have been thinking about that "experiment" we did yesterday."

"Oh I'm sorry Sheldon, we should never have done it." She looked to the floor.

"I want to do it again."

Penny looked at him in shock. "Oh, I don't think that is a good idea Sheldon."

"Oh, they nearly took our furniture to the wrong shipping company." Leonard walked into the apartment. "Well Sheldon, we best be off, our flight is in a little over 3 hours."

Sheldon hadn't stopped staring at Penny and she at him.

"Sheldon!"

"Yep, right there with you buddy." Sheldon grabbed his bag and suitcases and made his way to the door.

"Penny you coming to the airport?" Leonard asked.

"Would you mind if I didn't, I will just cry and you will too." She gestured to Leonard.

"Yeh, well I'll pop through at Christmas time when I come back." Leonard leaned in and kissed Penny on the lips, "Penny, thank you, take care and I love you." then he added. "You know as a friend."

"Right back at you." She smiled at him.

Sheldon dropped his suitcase and walked over to Penny. He bent down and kissed her on the lips too, "Penny, you are a good friend and I love you." he turned and walked out the apartment following behind Leonard.

Penny closed the Apartment door behind her and ran into her apartment, she opened her bedroom window and watched the street below and could see as Sheldon got into the taxi. "Oh Sheldon, our babies would have been beautiful and smart."


	2. Chapter 2

**I had many requests to write more on this story, here is chapter 2 of 3, I hope you enjoy it.**

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It was December 23rd and the end of a very long day when Penny returned to the apartment building, she quickly grabbed her mail and turned to walk towards the stairs whilst sorting through her mail, bill, bill, bill and a Christmas card from Switzerland, she smiled.

She threw her bag on the sofa and sat down, casting aside the bills she ripped the envelope containing the card as quickly as possible. It was from Leonard.

_Dear Penny,_

_I hope this card finds you well, and I hope it reaches you before Christmas, and I wish you a Merry Christmas. It would have been nice to be able to return home for the holidays, but I won't be able to this year, as you know my family doesn't really celebrate Christmas and I met someone. Someone really special, so special that we are getting married in the summer._

_Her name is Emmy and she is an English born experimental physicist, she is so smart and pretty and I am such a lucky man. We shall have the wedding at her parent's house, when I say house I mean estate, HUGE estate. Emmy is Lady Emmeline Chestershire, her father is the 8__th__ Earl of Falconshirk, so you can imagine the family that I am marrying into, I think even my mother is proud. So we, that is Emmy and I, are spending Christmas with her family this year. I am such a lucky man Penny and such a happy one. Even Sheldon likes her._

Penny's felt her heart beat faster at the sight of his name on the card.

_Talking of Sheldon, he has returned home, and for good I think, he has been offered an amazing opportunity with NASA, and he has lined up some meetings with them over the next week or so, then I believe he goes to Texas to spend some time with his family for Christmas, which I am sure he will hate. I hope it works out for him, with NASA that is. He has never really been that happy here, just couldn't settle saying something about having left something behind and worried about the people that he sublet the apartment to, anyway I told him I double checked the apartment and there was nothing left in any of the rooms. I don't know what he is talking about. Perhaps he is upset that Amy took the Prince up on his offer of marriage. Did you go to the wedding? I saw the photos on her Facebook page, very ornate._

Penny, y_ou cannot imagine how exciting it was being here when the Higgs Boson particle was finally proven and the announcement to the world went out, it was like being right at the very heart of the universe, I was so proud of being a part of it, even the very small part that I am. Emmy and I work on the same team and I saw tears in her eyes that day, and that was the moment that I knew that she is the "one", I proposed_ _that evening and she said yes, it was the best day of my life. She has such a bubbly personality, and is blonde just like you, she is very petite and luckily for me not very tall, and she wants children, many children._

_ Maybe next year some time we might come to the US to visit family and we could pop by, I would love you two to meet._

_All the very best Penny and I really wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year._

_Love Leonard and Emmy_.

He signed her name too! Oh he had it bad she thought and smiled. Penny grabbed the card, stood up and walked over to her bookcase, placing it next to the one from Bernadette and Howard.

Penny let the warm water of the shower flow down her face, her eyes were closed and her mind was stuck on one subject, Sheldon Cooper. Since he and Leonard had moved to Switzerland about 9 months ago she had received the occasional email from Leonard, but none from Sheldon, she shouldn't be surprised, just because they shared a "goodbye" kiss she really shouldn't have expected that he had any feelings for her.

It was 2.34am and Penny couldn't sleep, her mind kept asking the same question over and over again "Then why did he ask to kiss me again? She rolled over with a groan, tomorrow she had the early shift, 8am, and if she didn't get any sleep she was going to be dead on her feet.


	3. Chapter 3

I promised 3 chapters, I really meant more. That's just my way of saying this isn't the last chapter.

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They were slammed.

It has been the busiest Christmas Eve that Penny could remember, and they even had extra staff working, Penny was just thankful that she wasn't working tonight, she had done her fair share of Christmas Eve night shifts in the past thank you very much. Penny took the order from her table and walked towards the kitchen just as Sally her manager called her name.

"Someone must have an admirer." Sally pointed toward the huge bunch of red and white roses sitting on the table. Penny looked at Sally not having understood what she meant. "They are for you Penny." Sally walked away.

Penny walked over to the flowers gasping in surprise, "Oh My God!" it was the biggest bunch of flowers she had every received, actually it was the only bunch of flowers she had ever received.

She picked up the card "Merry Christmas Penny.", that was it, no name, no details.

Katie walked up behind her, "Nice flowers." Penny nodded in reply. "Hey, you didn't tell me you were seeing anyone."

"I'm not, and I have no idea who sent them."

"Secret admirer perhaps?" Katie laughed and walked away.

Sally returned, pointed to the flowers and said. "Penny you need to place them in the staff room and get a move on, you can smell them later, on your break."

Penny grabbed the flowers and watched as Sally walked toward the bar, "Yeah Merry Christmas to you too!" but she did as asked and placed the flowers in the staff room. Just as she did so her mobile rang, she quickly grabbed it and ran to the toilet for a bit of peace and quiet, it was Raj.

"Hey Penny, did you get my present?"

"Raj, the flowers they were from you?"

"Yeah, you know I think with Leonard gone now, well you know this being the first Christmas and all, I just thought you might like some flowers. "

"Raj, thank you, but you forgot to put your name on them. Hey I can't talk now my manager is on my back, I'll phone you later, and thank you again sweetie."

Penny shared her break with two other waitresses, Katie and Maryanne. Katie and Penny were very similar in age and temperament and had developed a close friendship in the years they had worked together. Maryanne was only new at the job and about 22 years old, with aspirations to be a movie star, she reminded Penny of lot of herself all those years ago.

"That's a shame Penny, I was hoping you had a secret admirer." Katie drank the last of her orange juice. "Still this Raj person sounds like a sweetheart to send you flowers, and especially a bunch that big, he must be loaded what does he do, and why isn't he your boyfriend?"

Penny smiled. "Raj is an astro something or other and a sweetheart, we did once had a rather unfortunate one night stand, but the guy suffers from selective mutism, he can't talk to women face to face. You must remember Raj Katie, he used to eat here every Tuesday, you remember with Leonard and the others. Oh and yes his family is loaded."

Katie did remember. "Yes, I think I remember him, he was friends with the sleazy guy wasn't he. But of course I never got to wait on their table because of the nut job that used to sit with them." Katie turned to Maryanne and said, "Only Penny was good enough to wait on his table." she turned back to Penny. "Well if Raj is the other guy that used to sit at the table, well then, then Raj is cute."

"Don't they come here anymore?" Maryanne asked.

"Well Raj is still about, just I don't really see him much anymore, you know him not being able to speak with women. The sleazy guy, as you called him Katie, well Howard got married and his wife is expecting their first child, and Leonard got an opportunity to go to Switzerland to work at the Large Hadron Collider"

Maryanne looked blankly at Penny.

"You see Leonard is a Physicist and the collider is like a big deal for them." Penny continued. "Actually got a letter from Leonard yesterday, he is getting married." Penny took a sip of her tea and sighed.

"Hey I'm sorry Penny I know how much you liked him." Katie replied to Penny's sigh.

"Who? Leonard, no it was time for us to move on, the chemistry just wasn't there, no I'm happy for him, I just miss them all, even my old bestie Amy has moved away to be a princess in the desert, as you do." Penny laughed, they got up to leave the staffroom, break time was over. Penny continued. "and Sheldon, the nutjob, as you so nicely called him, I think he is."

"Here." Katie was peering out to the restaurant, holding the door so Penny couldn't see past her.

Penny flushed. "He is?"

"No, not really just thought I would scare you." Katie laughed heartily as she held the door open for Maryanne and Penny. Penny feigned laughter, but inside her heart was beating ten to the dozen

Katie continued the conversation with Maryanne. "You should have seen him Maryanne, no-one but Penny could touch his food, always had to sit at the same table, always on a Tuesday night." Penny looked toward their old table, she missed him most of all.

The rest of the day flew by and before Penny knew it, it was time to finish for the day; she grabbed her flowers wished everyone a Merry Christmas and walked to her car.

For nine months Penny hadn't receive one phone call, one email, not even one small note from Sheldon, yet for nine months that kiss they shared was the one memory that she liked to recall when she thought of him . She had been out with a couple of guys since he left, but they were just knuckleheads, there was no "chemistry", they didn't challenge her, they placed her on a pedestal and she didn't want that, she wanted a guy that didn't idolise her, just one that loved her.


	4. Chapter 4

This is a really small chapter, even by my standards, another one or two to come still. Thank you all for the reviews, follows and favourites, it makes my day. Hope you enjoy this.

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It was Christmas Day.

Yesterday Penny had bought home one of the Christmas Dinners that The Cheesecake Factory had been selling over the holidays; she had also grabbed a piece of their special "Christmas Cheesecake". She had wine and egg nog , and Christmas movies to watch, but after eating her dinner and two bites into her cheesecake Penny started to regret not accepting Bernadette's offer of joining her, Howard and Raj for Christmas Dinner. But when the invitation arrived Penny believed that she did want to spend Christmas Day alone, she was fine with that, until it actually came to spending Christmas Day alone.

Truth be told she was the one that forced Leonard and Sheldon to celebrate Christmas Day, and they had even gotten into the habit of exchanging gifts, every year Penny got another basket of toiletries from Sheldon, and Leonard's presents were hit and miss, like the time he bought her the Herb Garden, "grow delicious herbs you can really use". It still bought a smile to her face, what was he thinking? But this year Leonard was in England probably enjoying his first ever real Christmas Day, and Sheldon was very possibly hating every minute of his family Christmas.

In an effort to feel less alone she phoned her parents and wished them a Merry Christmas, they were having a family get together and told her to come home next year, you've not been home for Christmas for years her mother told her.

The phone call didn't make her feel better, if anything she felt more alone in the quiet of her apartment. Penny pressed the play button on her remote and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation recommenced. She sat down, poured another glass of eggnog and watched the movie. Rusty was helping his dad with the decorations, Penny remembered that she used to have a crush on Rusty when she was younger, hey he was a cute kid. A tear trickled down her cheek, and another followed. She wiped them away and sniffed, she was not going to be sad, she is spending Christmas Day the way she wanted. Penny took another bite of her cheesecake.

When she awoke the room was dark, the DVD was finished and she was sure that she had heard a knock at her door. She got off the couch, smoothed her hair and walked towards the door, looked out the peephole and saw a delivery guy. She opened the door.

"Penny Taylor?" He asked.

"Yes."

He handed her a bunch of flowers, some lovely Christmas Lilies, and his clipboard, "Sign here please." he asked her.

Penny did as she was told. "You are working on Christmas Day?"

The delivery guy looked up at her and replied, "Yeh just for a couple of hours, missed a few deliveries yesterday, lucky I caught you at home really." and with that he ran towards the stairs and disappeared.

Another bunch of flowers, she opened the card. "Dear Penny, Merry Christmas . Love Raj"

These are from Raj? She looked toward the other much more elaborate bunch sitting on her kitchen island, "Who are you from then?" She asked aloud.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all for your comments, reviews and everything, so much appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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"You volunteered to work the New Years Eve shift?" Katie looked at Penny with total disbelief. The girls were enjoying their lunch break the day after Christmas, Katie's mind already concerned with New Year's Eve parties.

The blonde nodded in reply. "Well I didn't have any plans so why not, the money's good."

"Penny, what's happened to you? You could have come out with me and George."

Penny placed her hand on Katie's arm, "Thanks Katie, but really I'm just not into doing anything this year," what Penny couldn't tell Katie is that George gave her the creeps and she would rather walk on hot coals that spend any time with him and his slippery hands.

"Well you just seem a bit sad lately Penny, I'm worried about you. You really miss that Leonard guy don't you?"

"No I don't," she looked at her friend. "Really."

"Well, you seem a little sad lately, and I noticed it's been since you got that letter from him" A thought crossed Katie's mind. "Oh hey maybe he sent those flowers?"

"No it wasn't him; I don't think so anyway," Once more Penny placed her hand on Katie's arm "I actually think they may have been from Sheldon."

"No, seriously Penny why would he send you flowers?" Katie scoffed.

"I don't know, social convention perhaps. Just that we had gotten into a habit of exchanging gifts and once something becomes a habit for him, well it's forever."

"He was one strange man Penny. "Katie took a slip of her drink. "Cute, but strange."

"Yeah he was cute. You know we kissed once." Penny's mind filled with the memory of that kiss.

"No way Penny." Katie's mouth opened in complete disbelief.

"Yeah we did, just before he left to go to Switzerland, I just, I just wanted to know, and it was nice. More than nice, it was good."

"Really good?"

Penny smiled. "Really, really good."

"Bugger!"

"What?"

"Well he's in Switzerland, **and he's nuts**!" Katie laughed.

Penny cleared her throat. "I think he is back home, well at least in Texas, and he isn't nuts Katie, he's just different, sometimes bad different, but for the most part good different."

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The knock on Penny's door startled her, she walked over to it and looked through the peep hole, it was Claude the guy that sublet 4A with his friend John. She swung open the door.

"Hey, can I help you?"

"Ah, well this is just let you know that we shall be vacating 4A tomorrow. "

"You're moving?" Penny had never really warmed to Claude and his friend John; they were both chefs and never once had invited Penny for dinner, lunch or even breakfast.

"Yes well the guy that we sublet from is apparently returning."

Claude said more but all that Penny heard was that the guy that they sublet from is apparently returning. "Sheldon's coming back?"

Claude looked at Penny. "Apparently so, so John and I have had to find new digs, but it's not as good as this apartment was."

Penny smiled.

"You seem pretty happy to have him back as a neighbour, I must say all my dealings with him he has been a right pain in the arse, don't think I would want to live across from him, it was bad enough subletting from him. You should see the checklist that he sent us and a list of things we must do before vacating. You're welcome to him."


	6. Chapter 6

**Last Chapter, I do hope you enjoy it. Again thank you all so much for the reviews and follows and favourites, it's makes my day.**

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It was New Year's Eve, just after 11.30pm, and Penny had just finished the New Year's Eve shift at work, she rounded the last bend on the stairs to reach her landing, when she saw something hanging off the door handle of 4A, on closer inspection she saw that it stated.

"Do Not Disturb"

There is only one person that would place something like that on their door handle, Sheldon Cooper. He was back, he must have moved in when she was at work.

The door was unlocked, so she walked right in; she hadn't been in this apartment for over 9 months. The living room was full of boxes, all very carefully labelled, "Living Room" and then a number 1 of 12, 2 of 12 etc. Sheldon had his back to her and appeared to be going through a checklist, he hadn't heard her walk in.

"Want help?" Penny playfully asked.

Sheldon turned around and looked at her, he looked exactly the same, and he was even wearing his favourite Flash T-Shirt. "What part of do not disturb do you not understand Penny?"

"Lovely to see you too Sheldon." She replied sarcastically.

He looked at her with a look of bafflement. "It is nice to be home again."

She waited to see if he was going to say anything else but he didn't he was just looking at her like she was an unsolvable puzzle.

"Did you want help unpacking Sheldon?" She asked.

"No I need to do it correctly."

"Hey, I helped you pack if you remember." She replied defiantly.

"MM yes, I know." He placed his checklist down onto the kitchen island and walked over to a box near where Penny was standing and opened it with the knife in his hand.

"I missed you Sheldon." Penny's statement made him stop unpacking the box he was working on.

He looked up at her with that look again, her presence seem to be unsettling to him."Did you miss me, or Leonard, or perhaps the free food and Wi-Fi?" He returned to his unpacking.

Penny walked a step closer to Sheldon. "I kinda missed Leonard, and the free food and the free Wi-Fi, but," She stepped closer to him again, and grabbed at his hand, he didn't pull free. "but I missed you the most." She looked up at him. "Did you miss me?" She asked playfully.

Sheldon's stare fell to the ground; he was quiet for a moment then replied. "You see this is why I placed the do not disturb sign on the door"

Penny knew that Sheldon often pushed people away if he felt uncomfortable, but he still hadn't let go of her hand. "You haven't answered me yet Sheldon."

He started in almost a whisper. "I certainly felt the lack of your presence in my life."

Penny beamed, "You did?"

He let go of her hand and walked away. "Yes, both Leonard and I mentioned that there was no-one to, and I use the colloquial term here, "mooch" our food or Wi-Fi, and we certainly didn't get people just wander into our apartment especially when there is a Do Not Disturb sign on the door handle."

"Sheldon stop, I'll leave, I'm sorry to have bothered you." She turned and walked out the door as quickly as she could, she didn't want him to see her crying.

Back in th esanctuary of her own apartment she was able to let herself cry, she thought he would be happy to see her, but instead, oh what had she been thinking that she and Sheldon would get together, that he would be different, this is the guy that hung her underwear out on a telephone wire for pities sake.

Soon she heard the familiar knocks on the door followed by her name, 3 times just as always. She opened her door, not even bothering to hide her tears, let him see that he had hurt her.

"Yes?" she questioned him aggressively.

"May I come in?" He replied meekly.

"Why Sheldon? Why do you want to come in?"

"I made you cry, I'm sorry Penny." He stood outside her door looking around at anything but her.

"Yes, you made me cry, I was so looking forward to seeing you, and you, you were just." She sighed. "You were just mean to me, you aren't happy to see me at all."

"I was looking forward to seeing you too Penny," He looked around again. "please may I come in?"

Penny moved aside and let Sheldon enter her apartment; she closed the door and turned to look at him. "What do you want Sheldon?"

"Penny I need your advice."

She lifted her head and said. "What?' She was still pissed at him and she was going to let him know it.

"May I sit down?" he enquired.

She nodded yes, he sat on her sofa, but she remained standing, he sat quietly.

"Why did you come back Sheldon?"

"I was offered a role as Director of Physics at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory here in Pasadena, and I have taken the role. My excellent work at CERN did not go unnoticed, actually."

She interrupted him. "Happy about the new job for you, well done. Is that all?"

"No."

She looked at him with slight impatience.

He cleared his throat and looked straight into her eyes, she could get lost in those eyes.

"My problem is that I have been told by reliable sources that a man does not date his bestfriends ex-girlfriend, but my other problem is that I play that kiss that we shared over and over in my mind." He looked down the to floor, his nerves getting the better of him.

It took a while for Penny to comprehend what he just said, she sat next to him, wiping away her tears.

"Penny I." he stopped. "What do I do?"

"You seriously are asking my advice?" She grabbed his hand again. "Sweetie, I don't, we don't need worry about Leonard, this is just about you and I."

"So I can date you?" He smiled at her.

"Yes, you whackadoodle." She laughed. "Sheldon, do you remember when you asked me if you could kiss me again all those months ago, and I said I didn't think that it was a good idea."

"Of course I do Penny."

"Well I think now it would be a good idea." she smiled at him.

"Oh." He shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, she moved closer to him. "Oh you mean now?"

She nodded in reply. "Oh, just a moment." And she ran out the room and quickly brushed her teeth and ran back. "Teeth cleaned, mouth gargled, how is that for setting the mood." She laughed.

"Thank you." He replied quietly.

Sheldon closed his eyes and leaned in slightly toward her, Penny took a hold of both his hands, closed her eyes and leant in, her lips soon met his and they were as soft as she remembered, Sheldon seemed a little timid, unsure of what to do at first, but soon she felt him let go of her hands and then one of his hands craddled the back of her head and the other was on her jawline pulling her closer in for a deeper kiss, he was taking the lead, she felt his tongue touch her bottom lip and he pulled her in closer still. She had to pull away, she needed to breath. She took in a deep breathe and looked at Sheldon, who was looking at her wondering if he had down something wrong.

"Had to breathe sweetie, you took me a little by surprise there." Her eyes darting from his eyes to his lips, his soft beautiful lips. "Dr Cooper, have you been practising on Swiss girls?"

"I remembered what you liked from last time we kissed Penny, was it ok?"

"Mmm yes very much."

Suddenly he grabbed her and pulled her in close again, searching for her lips with his, taking her very much by surprise, and before she knew it he had released her again. She looked at him questioning.

"I believe it is customary to kiss one's steady gal on the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day." He replied.

"It's New Years Day?" She grabbed him and kissed him this time. "Happy New Year Sheldon, and may it be the start if a very special one for us both."


End file.
